Dutch Plan to Curb Cannabis Sales to Foreigners Delayed

A plan to transform cannabis-vending coffee shops near the Belgian border into private clubs from January 1 has been postponed indefinitely for further study, a Dutch official said Monday.

“We need to finalise our preparations before we can put the project into operation,” Petro Hermans, a project officer for the southeastern city of Maastricht, told AFP.

“We are studying the legal feasibility of the project,” he said, adding the date of January 1 “was not practicable”.

The mayors of Maastricht and seven other municipalities in the southern Limburg province announced last May that about 30 coffee shops within their borders would become private members’ clubs from this year.

The daily limit would be reduced from five to three grammes of cannabis per client, while patrons would require membership cards and a Dutch debit card to pay with — effectively cutting off tourists.

The Limburg move is backed by the national government, and is one of several pilot projects whose results will be incorporated in a new policy that will aim to reduce the “nuisance” caused by drug tourism.

About four million foreigners, mainly Belgian, French and German, visit Limburg every year to purchase cannabis. The Dutch government decriminalised the consumption and possession of under five grammes of cannabis in 1976.

There are some 700 licensed coffee shops throughout the country, but cannabis cultivation remains illegal.

Hermans said a report of university experts on the feasibility of the pilot project would be delivered to the mayors of the eight municipalities by mid-January.

“We will then decide how to proceed,” he said, stressing that the mayors were “eager” to get the ball rolling.

Comments

11 Comments

Anonymous on
January 5, 2010 11:55 pm

You need to calm down bud. and you need to not be disrespecting our Price of Pot, thats Just ignorance on your part, and you’re making yourself look like a damn fool. and another thing calling all Canadians bitches? i would love for you to come up here to Canada and talk all that shit, you’d be beaten six ways from sunday. oh and another thing come on up here and spend a winter up here, we’ll see who is the bitch.

Anyways on the Amsterdam subject,

I dont blame their govt. for wanting to put a stop to all the people who go there for just the drugs, holland has much more than legal drugs and hookers. there is a lot of history there.

Anonymous on
January 5, 2010 1:15 pm

they will find that many of the 4 million tourists will not turn up anymore and wonder if it was worth it.

Anonymous on
January 5, 2010 5:30 am

Well, I was planning on going to Amsterdam for my honeymoon, but if Cali legalizes it then great. Its only 15 minutes away. I wouldn’t want to commit my money to helping a gov’t that tries to make it harder for cannabis users anyways. What does Amsterdam have left after weed anyways?….Tulips and hookers, big whoop, America has tulips and hookers. And Canada, you shouldn’t be celebrating the death of C-15 just yet, it will be back in full swing soon. Harper wont stop, he will succeed. I dont know much about Canadian politics, but I’m sure the people put him there. Baby Bush is here for war, and your the victims.

Anonymous on
January 5, 2010 2:04 am

Your right, they finally dummied up about the money they will lose.

Anthony L on
January 5, 2010 12:40 am

wow… what an unredeemable degenerate… Anyway>> in response to the article at hand, which is relevant and interesting!, I can imagine that the ganja tourism they experience in Holland would get annoying for some. This is clear especially when considering the low popularity of cannabis smoking over there. The real problem is therefore convincing neighboring countries like France, where smoking levels are very high (compared to that of other Euro States that is…), to adopt more effective drug control and abuse prevention strategies… decrim/legalization = D. Likely since (Though I feel slight shame in admitting it) America seems to be leading the movement towards liberal regulation of recreational and medicinal cannabis use, Canada will be next to follow (Where as I wish we had the balls/clout to carry that flag… Much love to Marc Emery – Him and the whole Canadian movement, who’s contributions are immense – but I suppose it’s hard for me to see the direct effect of their work in Canadian law/politics… our marijuana laws already seem relatively* progressive). And subsequently Europe will follow.

Anonymous on
January 4, 2010 11:56 pm

This is just bad business practice from the Dutch…i mean they have pretty much said “No thank you, take your tourist money elsewhere.” Maybe the delay is because better business sense kicked in?

Anonymous on
January 4, 2010 11:46 pm

He can’t be a cop, that idiot couldn’t even spell parking ticket let alone write one.

Who gives a fuck what a bunch of europeans do in there own land?? Really who over here GIVES A FUCK ABOUT EUROPE?? Execpt the limeys who are here thats who? Fuck them all who the fuck want to waste money just to get there? You cant really bring weed there, and you cant bring it back with you so? why go at all? Fuck them and you know why? When after Nov. 5th 2010 when weeds legal in CALI!!! We wont need that fuck up dutch anymore or your stupid seed sales either! But most of all WE do NOT let us repeat this WE DO NOT WANT ANT OF YOU COMING HERE FUCK YOU ALL and you cop too! marc you lost we won just because you chould NOT shut up on the phone telling everyone how much you know about the law?? Well it seems you know shit about law enjoy your cage, bitch.FUCK ALL YOU BITCHES THAT CALL THEMSELFS CANADIANS!! losers one and all best place to protect the rest of the world from theses losers lock them all up! cowards!